The Adventures of Penguin and Panda: In the Dark

Brenda Maier is a children’s author, gifted education specialist, and mother of five not-so-little offspring who now range from high school to grad school. As a child, Brenda never thought she could attend college; because of that, she loves sharing the story of how she made her own dreams of being a teacher and author come true.

Brenda currently teaches at a public school and is a board member of OAGCT, the Oklahoma affiliate of the National Association for Gifted Children. Among her books are the picture book folktale retellings THE LITTLE RED FORT, THE LITTLE BLUE BRIDGE, and THE LITTLE GREEN SWING and the early graphic chapter book series THE ADVENTURES OF PENGUIN AND PANDA. She lives in Northeast Oklahoma with her family and enjoys visiting classrooms around the country to share her passion for reading, writing, and goal-setting. Her hobbies include tricking kids into thinking for themselves, reading way past her bedtime, and dragging her husband and kids to places they’ve never been, whether they want to go or not.
Chasing for Unicorns is her fifth Penguin and Panda Adventure, following Surprise!, Fun & Games, Winterfest and In the Dark.


Fanni Mézes is an artist living in Budapest, Hungary. After graduating university as a product design engineer, she pivoted to art school and set out to illustrate books for young readers. Fanni and her husband are the parents of one daughter; they all enjoy reading and watching cartoons together. Find her at fannimezes.com

Captain UnderpantsA Fuse 8 Production- Betsy Bird“It’s always time to rejoice when there’s a new easy book/early chapter book series on the horizon. First of all, extra points for giving us a penguin with pigtails. How has no one ever thought of that before? Forlovers!” —

YA Books Central"A charming graphic novel that combines colorful and expressive illustrations with simple text to delight young independent readers. Recommend for elementary school aged readers.” —

Publishers Weekly,Early Reader Spotlight“A can-do panda and a laze-about penguin are inexplicably best buds in this odd-couple escapade series launch.” —

School Library Journal“Penguin and Panda put their friendship to the test in the “Adventures of Penguin and Panda” series. Together, they navigate the travails of friendship. Mézes’s illustrations have a pleasant, hand-drawn quality with lovely, somewhat muted colors and the characters feel like they are bursting from the panels—and in some cases, they are.” —